Global Press Journal Connections: The World in Photos

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Khatantuul Bat-Ochir sews cotton face masks to sell to pharmacies in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. The Mongolian Ministry of Health recommends citizens wear face masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. After facing a shortage of disposable masks, the government set standards for cotton masks, allowing seamstresses around the country to sew masks and supply them to pharmacies.

Photo by Myagmarsuren Battur

Kondavil, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Epanesan Niviya stitches face masks to sell in Kondavil, Jaffna. Nivya works as a seamstress, but the curfew imposed by the Sri Lankan government due to the coronavirus has halted her normal business. Nivya says she sews 30 to 40 face masks per day and sells them for 100 Sri Lankan rupees (53 cents) each.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Erdenet, Orkhon province, Mongolia

Munkh-Od Oyun, right, delivers books to Baigalmaa Gunsmaa in Erdenet, Mongolia. Munkh-Od started selling books online shortly after the Mongolian government instituted coronavirus prevention measures in January. Since then, she has sold more than 300 books.

Photo by Khorloo Khukhnokhoi

Mongolia

Seamstresses Uranzaya Gankhuyag, front, and Badam Genden sew face masks to sell to the public amid increasing concerns about the coronavirus in Mongolia.

Photo by Khorloo Khukhnokhoi

Harare, Zimbabwe

Kelvin Mafaro fits recycled rubber on a spare part at an industrial site in Harare, Zimbabwe. He says that he and his fellow workers noticed that there are few companies that specialize in making rubber for cars, buses and other machinery, so they took the opportunity to provide these services. They work in groups and share profits at the end of each week.

Photo by Gamuchirai Masiyiwa

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Sahayanathan Punitharasa measures materials for the foundation of a new house in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. He works on a contract basis and receives 2,500 Sri Lankan rupees ($14) per day.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Vairan Neelam climbs a palmyra tree to obtain toddy, the sap from the tree, in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. People who do this work must obtain licenses in order to be able to sell the toddy. Neelam has been extracting and selling toddy for the past eight years.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Kandiah Thaya cleans off dust on onions by trampling them on the farm where he works in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. After they are cleaned, he takes them to the market to sell.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Harare, Zimbabwe

Abraham Moyo spray paints a scotch cart that was recently assembled at an industrial site in Harare, Zimbabwe. Even though he doesn’t own a shop at the site, he says his specialized spray painting services are required by several people who operate here. The site accommodates hundreds of informal craftsmen who provide a variety of services.

Photo by Gamuchirai Masiyiwa

Lusaka, Zambia

Selina Tembo, a spiritual healer, cuts wild plants to use as traditional medicines in Lusaka, Zambia. Traditional herbs are popular among Zambians, despite a wave of Christianity that discourages their use. Tembo says she tries to connect with spirits as she searches for treatments, and that her white robe signifies purity of the spirit.

Photo by Prudence Phiri

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Sellakandu Vimalanathan fishes on a Sunday near a beach in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Even though Sundays are a holiday for the fishing industry, he goes out to catch fish to feed his family.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Harare, Zimbabwe

George Choto weaves a chair at a shopping center in Harare, Zimbabwe. He and his colleagues sell woven chair sets for 1320 Zimbabwean dollars (around $121). Choto says business has been slow because of the current economic situation, but he and his colleagues keep pushing because it is their only source of livelihood.

Photo by Gamuchirai Masiyiwa

Kathmandu, Nepal

Dem Sani Tamang balls wool using a handmade instrument called a charka, or a spinning wheel, in Kathmandu, Nepal. She gets paid 40 to 100 Nepalese rupees (35 to 85 cents) per kilo for the balled wool, which is later used to make carpets.

Photo by Shilu Manandhar

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Selvaratnam Sanjayan waters and sets boundaries around the onion field that he owns in Jaffna, Sri Lanka. He has cultivated onions for the last five years.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

Amaltari, Nepal

Despite the rain, Dhani Ram Mahato picks up organic lemons that grow in his backyard to use in the kitchen in Amaltari, a village close to Nepal’s border with India. Most people in this area grow their own produce since the land is so fertile.

Photo by Shilu Manandhar

Kampala, Uganda

Salongo Kasasa Ronald uses a type of machete known locally as a panga to carve wooden cooking spoons in different sizes at his shop in Kampala, Uganda. This one, the largest his store offers, costs between 10,000 to 15,000 Ugandan shillings ($2.70 to $5).

Photo by Patricia Lindrio

Mexico City, Mexico

Ángel González, 19 (left), and Javier Hernández, 25, climb a tower on a pyrotechnic castle, a wooden structure used for celebrations in Mexico City. When the gunpowder lights on the castles are ignited, they create the silhouette of a brilliantly lit castle for a few minutes. “Making pyrotechnic castles is what I like to do the most,” says González, who has worked on their construction for five years.

Photo by Mar García

Harare, Zimbabwe

Tafadzwa Rusambo (front) and Domic Sirika gather juice cans that they spread out on a tarred road for trucks to run over and flatten in Harare, Zimbabwe. The two sell the flattened cans to recycling companies in South Africa for a living.

Photo by Linda Mujuru

Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo

Veronique Omba secures the day’s catch of “ngolo,” or snake catfish, from the Congo River in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo. For the last 14 years, Omba has woken up every day at 5 a.m. to catch fish, which she sells to provide for her family.

Photo by Françoise Mbuyi Mutombo

Mexico City, Mexico

Jesús Vázquez performs for tips in his Emiliano Zapata costume on Mexico City’s Francisco I. Madero Street. He painted his costume of this 1910 Mexican Revolution leader gold, giving him a unique look that attracts pedestrians. “What I like the most is that we are on a very important street in the city,” Vázquez says. “There is culture and knowledge and many people come to learn.”

Photo by Mar García

Kodikamam, Sri Lanka

Appaiah Rasikumar makes furniture in his shop in Kodikamam, a small town on Sri Lanka’s northern coast. He earns about 3,000 to 4,000 Sri Lankan rupees ($17 to $22) per day selling tables, chairs and cupboards, which he says is enough for him to lead a happy life.

Photo by Vijayatharsiny Thinesh

New Delhi, India

Shankar Kumar sells decorative Buddha statues that his family makes at a popular tourist market in New Delhi, India. Statues cost from 250 to 500 Indian rupees ($3.50 to $7) depending on the size, and he sells about 10 every day.

Photo by Aliya Bashir

Mutare, Zimbabwe

Shamiso Chamwanyisa makes popcorn in a machine made of welded steel. Chamwanyisa, who works in a suburb of Mutare, Zimbabwe’s fourth largest city, says he can earn about 80 ZWL ($6) per day depending on the number of people who bring him corn to pop.

Photo by Evidence Chenjerai

Kathmandu, Nepal

Mohammad Sainula repairs an umbrella in Kathmandu, Nepal. Sainula repairs umbrellas during monsoon season and makes quilts and mattresses during other seasons. He has worked from this spot for 15 years.

Photo by Shilu Manandhar

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Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Kondavil, Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Erdenet, Orkhon province, Mongolia

Mongolia

Harare, Zimbabwe

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Harare, Zimbabwe

Lusaka, Zambia

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Harare, Zimbabwe

Kathmandu, Nepal

Jaffna, Sri Lanka

Amaltari, Nepal

Kampala, Uganda

Mexico City, Mexico

Harare, Zimbabwe

Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo

Mexico City, Mexico

Kodikamam, Sri Lanka

New Delhi, India

Mutare, Zimbabwe

Kathmandu, Nepal